


my treasure, sunflower

by vaguehope



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: Chaptered, Conflict with Happy Ending, F/F, Generally Sweet, Plot, Post-Canon, Slow Burn, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-16 20:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16501976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaguehope/pseuds/vaguehope
Summary: tressa colzione sets off on the road again, one year after the events of the grandport auction, with new treasures in mind. somehow, she finds the treasure she was looking for was one she already knew.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> a post-game fic focusing on tressa and noa, as their dynamic has me smitten. will contain multiple chapters and a plot arc, all going well, but should mainly be light-hearted & nothing too complicated. these girls deserve the world & i'm trying to give it them. thank you for giving them a try!

_To the stranger out there who might hold this book someday –_

_Take care of my most precious treasure._

 

_I never thought I might be the one starting a diary._

_But someday, I'll give this book away._

_That's what diaries should be for – like Graham's diary did for me…_

_like my diary did for Noa Wyndham._

_She’s a rather quiet girl, who's been sickly since she was young._

_But she's always wanted to travel._

_That I could give her the courage to think to do what she never could –_

_That's what that diary did to me._

_Perhaps I could meet her again one day,_

_along the same path, on separate journeys._

_I think something like that would be ‘fate’._

 

_That's getting off track, though._

_My name is Tressa Colzione._

_I'm a travelling merchant from Rippletide._

_This is the second time I'm heading out from my seaside town,_

_and I have Atlasdam in mind._

_Rumour has it there’s a researcher who focuses on journals up there,_

_and I wonder if he ever started a second one._

_To find out more of the travels of the man who inspired me…_

_That's why I am headed there._

_And to make some profit, of course._

_But most of all, to discover what really matters to me._

_And so for the second time, I’ll set out into the horizon…_

 

Closing her diary, Tressa breathes out, staring down the path leading out of Rippletide. Pressing the book against her chest, she smiles, before tucking it away. With that recorded – with her legacy waiting for someone else to find it someday – she was ready to go.

“Bye, Ma. Bye, Pa. I’ll be back again.” Throwing a glance back to the town she loved, she walks down the path leaving it, feeling the breeze on her face and adjusting her bag on her back. “Ehehe. But not without something amazing. You can count on it!”

It would be difficult to top the eldrite. It would be difficult to top the journal that won her the grand prize, and that made Noa’s eyes shine. But if she were a merchant of any skill, then she would find a treasure worth writing home about.

“Cross my heart and hope to die.”

Or something like that. Tressa had plenty of things to live for and new horizons to pursue, and finding treasure was one of them. She adored Rippletide – it was her _home_. Yet every comforting good morning as she walked the streets, every familiar turn of the tide, every call of ‘I’m back’, was a reminder that it was far too safe. Too mundane. Too lacking in adventure. A pesky and reckless child, or so she’d been – grown into a woman who couldn’t stay still even now.

There was just too much out there.

These, too, were her merchant’s instincts.

Her Pa had himself to blame for that. How his steps had also wandered in his younger days, before finally slowing down to set up shop. He told her she would do the same someday. It sounded like his own wishful thinking.

There was still so much beyond the horizon, just waiting to be found.

 

Travelling between the stalls that lined the streets of Atlasdam, she feels as if it’s close by. Some treasure was waiting for her here – the pulse of it seems to vibrate with the beat of her heart, leading her to her destination.

Cheerily murmuring an ‘excuse me’, she checks the building she finds herself heading towards, before introducing herself to the butler at the door. Yes, this was where the journal specialist had settled down… though it seemed word of his coming had travelled quickly, and someone had beaten her to it. With a nod and a well-mannered chuckle, the butler humours her surprise. “A surprising amount of folk are interested in the things we call diaries, though they are unsuspecting things.”

“I’ll bet,” Tressa echoes, chuckling light heartedly. “They’re certainly amazing treasures.” And she would wait however long it took – even until tomorrow, or the day after the next. “Thank you for the opportunity – it means everything to me, sir.”

With such words exchanged, she finds herself waiting inside the stranger’s parlour, contemplating how often she let herself into these things. Her Pa would have a word with her, for trusting strangers so earnestly, for putting herself in unpredictable situations – but even he knew there was no worthwhile sale made without a little risk and at least a small gamble. And she’d more than proved herself, on the road she travelled just one year ago.

With a contented sigh, she sets herself to examining the room, wandering around to examine a portrait on the wall. Beautiful, surely – perhaps not a notable artist as the source, not one that she could recognise, but one that would become of note, no doubt. Few could make a painting breathe, Tressa had found, and even fewer could do it more than once. Those who succeeded would do well to keep their treasures hidden, or hold them close to their chest.

Touching her fingers gently to her own chest, she pulls her diary out briefly, beginning to write.

 

_It seems I made it to the right place in one piece!_

_And I’m not the only one. Could you believe there’s a queue!_

_His place is pretty beautiful, so I’m not surprised he’s popular._

_Maybe I’ll ask this man who was responsible for the painting in his parlour._

_It’s a rare thing to see paintwork this lively._

 

A sound from inside the house makes her pause – first lifting her head, and then tucking her diary away. It would explain her interest easy enough, but it hardly gave off the professional impression she was aiming for. Listening to the footsteps moving inside the house, along with the soft murmur of voices coming closer, she stands a little straighter. Brushing some hair from her nose and tucking it behind one ear, she adjusts her cap. Dusts off the front of her dress.

First impressions were everything, and as the door opens, she thinks this particular man understands that as well. Large and imposing, but with a warm aura, making a confident step forward to shake her hand.

“Why, we are busy today! I never imagined so many would be interested in my humble collection.”

“That’s hard to believe, sir! From what I’ve heard, there’s nothing quite like it anywhere else.”

“You flatter me. It is nice to meet you, miss…?”

“Tressa Colzione! Travelling merchant, at your service. It’s a pleasure to…”

She pauses, eyes drifting from him for just a moment, to catch the person he had been talking to earlier. It’s a little hard to see, with the person standing a little behind the man, but something about that figure makes her heart beat faster. Perhaps it’s her nerves? Or her eagerness? She steps back, politely, not having intended to interfere with them – but her gaze doesn’t move an inch. The soft glow of the stranger’s hair (a girl, a girl around her age, perhaps), and the equally dainty way that girl carried herself –

“Ah, yes. As you might have gathered, you aren’t the first visitor I’ve had today.” Turning to the other girl, the man takes her hand, lifting it to his lips politely. “It’s been an honour to be graced by the presence of someone as reputable as yourself. I hope I was able to be of service.”

“You’ve been… terribly helpful, kind sir.”

That gentle voice, faint and frail, as sweet as honey – if her heart was already pounding, its familiar tone makes her breath catch.

“It’s my pleasure. Do give your father my regards, yes? If ever you have further interest, I will be happy to be of assistance.”

“I will. Thank you very much. I should be… going for now, unfortunately.” A small bow of the head. The girl steps back with a polite smile, almost appearing to look somewhere into the back of the room, before curtseying. “Yes, it’s been a pleasure.”

_Wait,_ the words hover in Tressa’s throat, wanting to reach out to take that hand as it leaves his. _Wait, are you by any chance the girl I met before?_ More pressing, if it truly wasn’t a figment of her imagination, _do you remember little old me?_ Had she crossed that girl’s mind, as Tressa had so often wondered of her, in that lazy seaside town? Had she managed to leave her home, to take the first step into the world? Had she begun to travel?

The man that she had come here to visit was suddenly no more than a barrier between the questions flooding her mind, and the answer just a reach of the arm away.

_Wait,_ she lingers, her mouth slightly open, as the door tinkles, as the light footsteps take themselves out into the street. “Travel with care, my lady” – the words follow the girl outside, as Tressa can hardly stop herself from taking a step in the door’s direction in turn.

A merchant’s code of conduct, that swore to never betray a promise to a client – she had never wished to loosen its hold on her until now. She pauses, turning back to face the man, lifting her head to meet his eyes. Smiling as was her duty to do, she tries to ignore the pressure in her chest. “Who was that lady? She sure seemed remarkable, if that’s alright to say.”

An airy laugh comes from the man’s throat. “Why, that’s the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Orsterra… Noa Wyndham.”

_Wyndham… no._

_Noa._

The name makes her close her eyes for a moment, heat rushing to her face. Not in embarrassment, but a warmth she hasn’t felt for a very long time. Different to the warmth she felt towards her parents. Different to the warmth she felt towards her dearest friends.

“Noa…”

The name comes out in a whisper, as soft as the sea breeze. She looks up at the man, letting out an apologetic laugh.

“Sorry, sir. It seems…”

She smiles. “It seems I forgot a meeting with an old acquaintance.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> noa shares her dreams, like wisps of an ocean breeze. perhaps whispering them like a secret, to the one person that matters most, will make them come true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little bit salty and a little bit sweet! there's a little more action in this chapter as the girls get to talk, so i hope you enjoy it!

“Noa!”

Pushing the door open, her boots thud on the stone paving hard, eyes scanning the street. Nowhere to be seen, that familiar silhouette – her heart pounds and her eyes smart. To lose her after being so close, to lose her after abandoning a perfectly good business opportunity – she could hardly imagine anything worse.

_She can’t be far…!_

Starting to run down the street, she looks left and then right – her breath skipping at the sight of Noa a little way down the road. “Noa! Wait!” _This time, don’t…!_

The girl’s head had already been turning, as if checking to see if someone was on her tail. Tressa’s footsteps slow to a halt, stumbling, her clumsiness betraying her nerves. As Noa’s eyes catch hers, Tressa looks away, cheeks flushing sheepishly. They were just as deep as she remembered. Like the sea she loved so much.

“Tressa…”

Noa’s voice is soft. Perhaps a little shy. _Gee, Tressa. Way to go and frighten her._ Smiling a little shakily, she turns her face to Noa’s, not quite able to meet her eyes. “Ehehe. It’s me. Sorry for startling you… and, uh… running here out of nowhere.”

Noa smiles. “Startling me…?” A hand goes to her lips, as she chuckles softly. “Well, I suppose I didn’t expect to see you here… not in my wildest dreams.”

“Are you disappointed…?”

“No, not at all…! I’m… happy.”

Tressa flushes. Getting such a genuine response… she felt a little silly now. As if she’d been thinking it was best not to mention her own embarrassing dreams.

Looking down, Noa tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I suppose I should have expected to meet you… you don’t seem like the type to stay still for long. Especially in your diary… you didn’t take a day to stop even once.”

“Hey! I can totally stay still if I try.” She crosses her arms. “Just isn’t usually best for business, that’s all.”

“Ehehe…” Noa’s laugh makes Tressa soften. “You haven’t changed at all.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Pouting, she lets her arms fall to her side, finally leaning a little closer to listen. Her voice was so quiet. Truly like the sea breeze on a summer’s day. “But more than that – _you_ have! You’re so far from Grandport! Getting called _my lady_ and all.” A mischievous smile surfaces. “What do you think? Are you an adventurer yet?”

Noa turns a faint pink. “I don’t know about that. But…”

“But…?”

She smiles, gently. “I know I would like to be.”

 

They sit down on the steps in the plaza, watching the children run back and forth across the stones, their giggles melding with the calls of the birds in the sky. It was a beautiful day. There was no view of the sea in Atlasdam, but the clear blue of the sky would do. Reluctantly untangling her arm from Noa’s as she settles safely on the steps, Tressa leans back beside the flowerbed, staring up at the clouds. Almost the same as the ripples of the tide.

“I’m only here for a short while, actually… Father still isn’t sure that I’m ready to travel a long distance.” Noa’s own eyes watching the children in front of them, the same soft smile from earlier graces her lips. “My health still isn’t the best… I suppose it never will be. But… it’s the first time I’ve travelled anywhere this far.”

“I’ll bet! Still, one step at a time is fine, right? Rather than diving in head first like reckless old me.”

That makes her laugh. “I wouldn’t mind being a little reckless… I like that about you.”

“E-eh?” As her cheeks redden, Tressa is thankful she isn’t looking Noa’s way. “You like some weird things, Noa.”

“Maybe so… but if I didn’t, then I wouldn’t have seen you again like this.”

“Well, when you put it like that…” She smiles, leaning back with a stretch. “Ehehe. I can’t believe this is happening!”

“Mhmm…”

They fall quiet for a moment, listening to the laughing of children at play. Eventually, more conscious of her words than she’s ever been before, Tressa pipes up. “I’m glad, though. I’d been wondering what you were up to.”

“R-really…?” Was she surprised, or happy, or confused? Tressa doesn’t want to know. Noa clasps her hands together in her lap. “I’ve been writing in my… our diary. Though I don’t know if I can exactly share it with anyone yet…” She chuckles. “I still can’t believe you would give it away to me.”

“Well, I had the feeling you needed it more than I did. You know?” _Besides… I was just like you, when I came across that book._

“Maybe. I guess I still have such a long way to go.” She smiles. “But it’s nice to write. Since I can’t leave home quite yet, it’s almost as if I’m travelling already. Even if it’s just a dream…”

“You can definitely do it, someday. Besides, now _I’m_ here. I won’t let anyone get in your way, mark my word!”

“You really _do_ say weird things.”

Noa tucks her hair behind one ear, lips pressing together in thought. Tressa peers at her face, trying to read it.

“Tressa, can I ask you something?”

“E-eh?! Yeah, sure. Anything.”

Even if she said that, Tressa was suddenly finding it difficult to look Noa in the face. Her mind whirring, she plays with her hands, brushing off the front of her dress despite it being clean. Anything was a broad term. Something she might not be ready for.

“What if…” A small sigh comes from her side. “If you wanted to… escape the place you live. But the truth is, it isn’t exactly a terrible place… it’s dear to you. There are lovely people… anything that you could wish for… perhaps even a life others would envy…” She lowers her head, her hair concealing much of her expression from Tressa. “Yet it doesn’t feel right to stay. It’s horribly ungrateful, but… you still want to go. Even if it’s perhaps foolish, for someone like you… even if the others are right.”

There’s a pause in the children’s play. The little boy has fallen over, his soft crying echoing over the plaza. Tressa watches as his mother hurries over, taking him into her arms. The crying noise is replaced by soft coos across the stone.

What… was Tressa supposed to say, to something so important?

_I know exactly how you feel. That’s why I wanted to give you that diary._

She doesn’t want to say something that won’t help, that might trivialise Noa’s feelings, that might suggest she can solve all her problems – but finding something that is tangible, more than her emotions speaking blindly, seems impossible.

“I think…”

_Think, Tressa!_

“I think some people… are meant to leave. Say, my Pa… he was a travelling merchant in his youth, as well. Though you wouldn’t think it, looking at him now. He was really stubborn about me not leaving home at first. But, in the end, he was the same way, when he was younger. I think… in the end, he knew what it felt like to want to travel so much.”

She laughs, softly. “I mean, I love my family… and I love Rippletide. I love the people I say hello to every morning, I love helping out with Ma and Pa’s store, I love the sea most of all. I still think it doesn’t look as beautiful from anywhere else. Even Grandport! There’s something… serene and refreshing… about the Rippletide sea. But…” She sighs, finally turning to Noa, trying to meet her eyes. “I still had to leave. I still had to leave, after all.”

Smiling, she glances at the mother cradling her child. “I think those important to you will understand. My parents… totally guessed that I would try to run off out there someday. I think that kinda thing just shows in your soul.” This child, too – perhaps one day, he would also grow into something his mother had always known? “So I think your loved ones would understand. I bet they understood you’d be out there someday before even you did.”

She pauses, unsure what else to say, before she looks back to Noa’s face. Noa gazes at the mother and her child, as the boy is let back on the floor again – perking up and returning to the game of tag.

Tressa stands up, holding out her hand. “Come on. There’s something I wanna show you.”

 

Noa’s hand in hers, Tressa sets off at a brisk walk out of town.

“Tressa?”

“It’ll be alright, I promise! I know where I’m going!”

With a wink and a reassuring smile, she squeezes Noa’s hand, slowing down a little in case it was a struggle for her to keep up. Eventually reducing her speed to a stroll, wondering what she was so afraid of, Tressa guides the other girl down the country road south-east of Atlasdam. The sky still clear, the breeze gentle, they eventually reach the sands at the coastline. The closest to Atlasdam was blocked by a small ledge, but…

“It’s pretty private, isn’t it? Ehehe. No one else would take this place from us.”

“Tressa… I—”

“It’s alright.” Turning around to face her, she smiles widely, before sliding her backpack off of her shoulders and to the ground. Tucking it behind a bush – advanced anti-bandit techniques, indeed – she turns around, her back facing Noa. “Just get on board! I promise you, I might look dainty, but I’ve taken out _so_ many crooks with these hands.”

As Tressa peers over her shoulder, Noa’s expression slowly changes from doubt to amusement. A tinkling chuckle leaving her mouth, she walks over, putting her arms around Tressa’s neck. “I guess you’re right. I did read about that, after all.”

“Hehe. That’s what I thought!”

Lifting Noa up, Tressa begins to make her way down the slope – a little wobbly, but holding onto Noa firmly all the same. Feeling the ground beneath her boots become soft, she smiles triumphantly, letting Noa down onto the sand. “You see! One peaceful spot to escape away. Just you and me.”

Brushing off the front of her dress, Noa pushes her hair out of her eyes, before stepping forward onto the sand – a soft gasp coming from her as she does. Tressa smiles too. It was a beautiful view, for such a small beach – a view of the coastline down to Rippletide and beyond. With the sun so bright today, the sea almost seemed to shine, as if precious gems were floating among the waves. Letting out a relieved breath herself, Tressa tugs off her boots and socks, taking a few steps forward towards the sea – grinning back at Noa with a twirl.

“So… are you gonna join me?”

“Hmm…” She makes a sound as if she’s considering it – but her small smile betrays her decision even before she can no longer hold back her laughter. Crouching, she pulls off her shoes, straightening up with her back to the sea. Her fair hair was glowing in the light of the sun like a halo. “I suppose just a little while wouldn’t hurt.”

“Heh…” A mischievous glint appearing in her eyes, Tressa begins to run towards the waves. “Then catch me if you can! Don’t think I’ll go easy on you!”

The water splashes around Tressa’s ankles as she reaches the shallows. She pauses to shield her eyes from the sun, yelping as Noa’s arms wrap around her waist.

“And you shouldn’t underestimate me…!”

“Okay, okay! I didn’t! I swear—”

Her balance slipping, first Tressa falls, Noa following her. Soon enough, Tressa’s butt is on the ground, dress soaked – Noa laughing louder than she’s ever heard her before, similarly soaked by her side.

“Wait, wait – is this really okay? Y-your dress!”

“Ehehe… it’s fine! It’s… ahaha…!”

Unable to keep a straight face with Noa smiling like that, Tressa snorts, before bursting into laughter. If any traveller heard their giggles on the wind and looked down, they might glimpse two girls stumbling among the waves, splashing each other with handfuls of water.

 

Breathing heavily, the two girls lie on the sand in their vests and petticoats, dresses spread out in the sun to dry. Faces flushed, arms resting on their stomachs or splayed in the sand, it takes some time for their giggles to die down. Even once it does, the smiles don’t fade. Perhaps this place really was somewhat magical.

Rolling onto her side to face Noa, Tressa smiles. “I’m glad you liked this place. I just… wanted to show you something fun.”

“Mhmm.” Then – “Tressa…” Rolling over herself, Noa reaches to clasp Tressa’s hand. “I’ve never had so much fun in my life. This… being out in the breeze, with nature all around… maybe even being a little risky…” She sighs, but the shine in her eyes doesn’t dim. “This is what I want to do. This is who I am.”

“I know.” Tressa squeezes her hand. “It’s who I am too.”

“How do you do it? No… how did you do it? Without… being afraid? Without feeling guilty…?”

“Hmm…” She pauses, closing her eyes for a moment, remembering the first days of her journey. “I suppose… I just realised I couldn’t hold it back anymore. This feeling I’ve always had… this dream… it just burst out of me.”

Noa swallows. “I feel like I’m… about to burst.”

“Yeah…”

For a moment, there isn’t a sound, aside from the back and forth of the waves. The girls listen, hands tightly clasped. Tressa can almost swear she feels Noa’s heart beating – she can almost swear she can feel the light warmth of her breath.

When the silence breaks, it’s Noa’s voice that does it. “Tressa…”

“Noa?”

“If the day comes when I… tell them… will you be with me?”

Nevermind Noa’s heart. Tressa’s own heart must be beating out of her chest, must be impossible for Noa to miss. She can almost feel the blood being pumped around her veins.

She nods, eyes bright. “Of course. I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”


End file.
